Everyone Needs A Pastor

Good shepherd

Times of persecution demand that God's people have adequate spiritual leadership. If judgment is to begin at God's house (1 Peter 4:17), then that house had better be in order, or it will fall apart! This explains why Peter wrote this special message to the leaders of the church, to encourage them to do their work faithfully. Leaders who run away in times of difficulty are only proving that they are hirelings and not true shepherds (John 10:12-14).

The New Testament assemblies were organized under the leadership of elders and deacons (1 Tim. 3). The words "elder" and "bishop" refer to the same office (Acts 20:17, 28). The word "bishop" is often translated "overseer" (see 1 Peter 5:2, and note that this title is applied to Christ in 2:25).

"Elder" refers to the maturity of the officer, and "bishop" refers to the office’s responsibility. The word "pastor" (which means "shepherd") is another title for this same office (Eph. 4:11). The elders were appointed to the office (Acts 14:23, where the verb appointed means “to appoint by the raising of

"to appoint by the raising of hands"). Apparently, each congregation had the privilege of voting on qualified men.

Peter was concerned that the leadership in the local churches be at its best. When the fiery trial would come, the believers in the assemblies would look to their elders for encouragement and direction. What are the personal qualities that make for a successful pastor?

1. A Genuine Love For Christ

1 Peter 5:1 KJV 1900

1 The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed:

In this letter, Peter did not introduce himself as an apostle or a great spiritual leader but simply as another elder. However, he did mention the fact that he had personally witnessed Christ's sufferings (see Matt. 26:36ff). The Greek word translated "witness" gives us our English word "martyr." We think of a "martyr" only as one who gives his life for Christ, and Peter did that; but basically, a "martyr" is a witness who tells what he has seen and heard.

It is interesting to read 1 Peter 5 in the light of Peter's personal experiences with Christ. Verse 1 takes us to Gethsemane and Calvary. "The glory that shall be revealed" reminds us of Peter's experience with Christ on the Mount of Transfiguration

(2 Peter 1:15-18; Matt. 17:1-5). The emphasis in verse 2 on the shepherd and the sheep certainly brings to mind John 10 and our Lord's admonition to Peter in John 21:15-17.

The warning in verse 3 about "lording it over" the saints reminds us of Christ's lesson about true greatness in Luke 22:24-30 and the other times that He taught His disciples about humility and service. The phrase in verse 5, "be clothed with humility,” takes us back to the Upper Room where Jesus put on the towel and washed the disciples' feet (John 13:1-17).

The warning about Satan in verse 8 parallels our Lord's warning to Peter that Satan was going to "sift" him and the other apostles (Luke 22:31). Peter did not heed that warning, and he ended up denying his Lord three times.

It is interesting to note that the verb "make you perfect" (v. 10) is translated "mending their nets" in Matthew 4:21, the account of the call of the four fishermen into the Lord's service.

In other words, Peter wrote these words, inspired by the Spirit of God, out of his own personal experience with Jesus Christ. He had a vital and growing relationship with Christ, and this made it possible for him to minister effectively to God's people.

The pastor of the local assembly must be a man who walks with God and who is growing in his spiritual life. Paul admonished young Timothy: "Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress" (1 Tim

4:15, NIv). The word "progress" in the original means "pioneer advance." The elders must constantly move into new territories of study, achievement, and ministry. If the church leaders are not moving forward, the church will not move forward.

"We love our pastor," a fine church member said to me during a conference, "but we get tired of the same thing all the time. He repeats himself and doesn't seem to know that there are other books in the Bible besides Psalms and Revelation." That man needed to become a "spiritual pioneer" and move into new territory so that he might lead his people into new blessings and challenges.

Sometimes God permits trials to come to a church so that the people will be forced to grow and discover new truths and new opportunities. Certainly, Peter grew in his spiritual experience as he suffered for Christ in the city of Jerusalem. He was not perfect by any means; in fact, Paul had to rebuke him once for inconsistency (Gal. 2:11-21). But Peter was yielded to Christ and willing to learn all that God had for him.

If I have any counsel for God's shepherds today, it is this: cultivate a growing relationship with Jesus Christ, and share what He gives you with your people. That way, you will grow, and they will grow with you.

2. A Passionate Care For The Flock

1 Peter 5:2–3 KJV 1900

2 Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; 3 Neither as being lords over God’s heritage, but being ensamples to the flock.

The image of the flock is often used in the Bible, and it is a very instructive one. (See Ps. 23 and 100; Isa. 40:11; Luke 15:4-6; John 10; Acts 20:28; Heb. 13:20-21; 1 Peter 2:25; Rev. 7:17.) We were once stray sheep, wandering toward ruin; but the Good Shepherd saved us.

(2 Peter 2:20-22). Sheep tend to flock together, and God's people must be together. Sheep are notoriously ignorant and prone to wander away if they do not follow the shepherd. Sheep are defenseless, for the most part, and need their shepherd to protect them (Ps. 23:4).

Sheep are beneficial animals. Jewish shepherds tended their sheep not for the meat (which would have been costly) but for the wool, milk, and lambs.

God's people should be useful to Him and certainly ought to "reproduce" themselves by bringing others to Christ. Sheep were used for the sacrifices, and we ought to be "living sacrifices," doing the will of God (Rom. 12:1-2).

Peter reminded the shepherd-elders of their God-given responsibilities.

A. FEED THE FLOCK OF GOD (5:2). The word "feed" means "shepherd, care for." The shepherd had many tasks to perform in caring for the flock. He had to protect the sheep from thieves and marauders, and the pastor must protect God's people from those who want to spoil the flock (Acts 20:28-35).

Sometimes the sheep do not like it when their shepherd rebukes or warns them, but this ministry is for their own good.

A faithful shepherd protected his flock and led them from pasture to pasture so that they might be adequately fed. The shepherd always went before the flock and searched out the land so that there would be nothing there to harm his flock.

He would check for snakes, pits, poisonous plants, and dangerous animals. It is important for pastors to lead their people into the green pastures of the Word of God so that they might feed themselves and grow.

Sometimes a shepherd needed to seek out a wayward sheep and give it personal attention.

Some pastors today are interested only in the crowds; they have no time for individuals. Jesus preached to great multitudes, but He took time to chat with Nicodemus (John 3), the woman at the well (John 4), and others who had spiritual needs.

Paul ministered to people personally in Thessalonica (1 Thes. 2:11) and loved them dearly.

If a sheep is too rebellious, the shepherd may have to discipline him in some way. If a sheep has a special need, the shepherd might carry it in his arms, next to his heart. At the close of each day, the faithful shepherd would examine each sheep to see if it needed special attention. He would anoint the bruises with healing oil, and remove the briars from the wool. A good shepherd would know each of his sheep by name and would understand the special traits of each one.

It is not an easy thing to be a faithful shepherd of God's sheep! It is a task that never ends and demands God’s supernatural power if it is to be done correctly. What makes it even more challenging is the fact that the flock is not the shepherd's; it is God's. I sometimes hear pastors say, "Well, at my church . .." and I know what they mean; but strictly speaking, it is God's flock, purchased by the precious blood of His Son (Acts 20:28). We pastors must be careful how we minister to God's sheep, because one day we will have to give an account of our ministry. But the sheep will also one day give an account of how they have obeyed their spiritual leaders (Heb. 13:17), so both shepherds and sheep have a great responsibility to each other.

B. TAKE THE OVERSIGHT (5:2). The word "bishop" means “overseer, one who looks over for the purpose of leading.

."

You will notice that the shepherd is both "among" and "over," which can create problems if the sheep do not understand. Because he is one of the sheep, the pastor is "among" the members of the flock. But because he is called to be a leader, the pastor is "over" the flock. Some people try to emphasize the "among" relationship and refuse to follow the shepherd’s authority. Others want to put the pastor on a pedestal and make him a "super saint" who never mixes with the people.

The effective pastor needs both relationships. He must be "among his people so that he can get to know them, their needs and problems, and he needs to be "over" his people to lead them and help them solve their problems. There must be no conflict between pastoring and preaching because they are both ministries of a faithful shepherd. The preacher needs to be a pastor so he can apply the Word to the needs of the people. The pastor needs to be a preacher to have authority when he shares in their daily needs and problems. The pastor is not a religious lecturer who weekly passes along information about the Bible. He is a shepherd who knows his people and seeks to help them through the Word.

Being the spiritual leader of a flock has its dangers, and Peter pointed out some of the sins that the elders must avoid. The first was laziness-"not by constraint but willingly." His ministry must not be a job that he has to perform. He should do God's will from his heart (Eph. 6:6). Dr. George W. Truett was pastor of First Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas, for nearly fifty years. Often he was asked to accept other positions, and he refused, saying, "I have sought and found a pastor's heart." When a man has a pastor's heart, he loves the sheep and serves them because he wants to, not because he has to.

If a man has no conscience, the ministry is a good place to be lazy. Church members rarely ask what their pastor is doing with his time, and he can “borrow” sermons from other preachers and use them as his own. I met one pastor who spent most of his week on the golf course; then on Saturday, he listened to tapes of other preachers and used their sermons on Sunday. He seems to be getting away with it, but what will he say when he meets the Chief Shepherd?

Next to laziness, the shepherd must beware of covetousness-"not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind." It is perfectly proper for the church to pay the pastor (1 Cor. 9; 1 Tim. 5:17-18), and they ought to be as fair and generous as possible. But making money must not be the main motive for his ministry.

Paul stresses this in his qualifications for an elder:

"not greedy of filthy lucre" (1 Tim. 3:3); "not given to filthy lucre" (Titus 1:7). He must not be a lover of money nor devote himself to pursuing money.

Because of family or church situations, some pastors have to engage in outside employment. Paul was a tentmaker, so there is no disgrace in "moonlight-ing." But, as soon as possible, the church members ought to relieve their pastor of outside employment so he can devote himself fully to the ministry of the Word. Pastors must beware of getting involved in money-making schemes that detour them from their ministry. "No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs he wants to please his commanding officer" (2 Tim. 2:4, NIv).

The phrase "a ready mind" means "an eager mind." It is the same word Paul used in Romans

1:15-"I am so eager to preach the gospel" (NIv). It means a willingness to serve because of a readiness and eagerness within the heart. This is the difference between a true shepherd and a hireling: a hireling works because he is paid for it, but a shepherd works because he loves the sheep and has a devoted heart. Read Acts 20:17-38 for a description of the heart and ministry of a true shepherd.

C. BE AN EXAMPLE TO THE FLOCK (5:3). The contrast is between dictatorship and leadership. You cannot drive sheep; you must go before them and lead them. It has been well said that the church needs leaders who serve and servants who lead. A Christian leader told me, “The trouble today is that we have too many celebrities and insufficient servants." It is by being an example that the shepherd solves the tension between being "among" the sheep and "over" the sheep. People are willing to follow a leader who practices what he preaches and gives them a good example to imitate. I know of a church constantly having financial problems; no one could understand why. After the pastor left, it was discovered that he had not contributed to the church’s work but had preached sermons telling others to contribute. We cannot lead people where we have not been ourselves.

Peter was not changing the image when he called the church "God's heritage." The people of God are certainly His priceless possession (Deut. 32:9; Ps.

33:12). This word means "to be chosen by lot." as the dividing up of land (Num. 26:55). Each elder has his own flock to care for, but the sheep all belong to the one flock of which Jesus Christ is the Chief Shepherd. The Lord assigns His workers to the places of His choosing, and we must all be submissive to Him. There is no competition in the work of God when you are serving in the will of God.

Therefore, nobody has to act important and "lord it over" God's people. Pastors are to be "overseers" and not "over-lords."

3. A Singular Focus On Christ I Peter 5:4

1 Peter 5:4 KJV 1900

4 And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.

Since this is the epistle of hope, Peter brought in once again the promise of the Lord's return. His coming is an encouragement in suffering (1:7-8) and a motivation for faithful service. If a pastor ministers to please himself, or to please people, he will have a disappointing and difficult ministry. "It must be hard to keep all these people happy," a visitor said to me after a church service. "I don't even try to keep them happy," I replied with a smile. "I try to please the Lord, and I let Him take care of the rest."

Jesus Christ is the Good Shepherd who died for the sheep (John 10:11), the Great Shepherd who lives for the sheep (Heb. 13:20-21), and the Chief Shepherd who comes for the sheep (1 Peter 5:4). As the Chief Shepherd, He alone can assess a man's ministry and give him the proper reward. Some who appear to be first may end up last when the Lord examines each man's ministry.

His ministry continues, though today his church building is in ruins. The Chief Shepherd has rewarded him for his faithful labors, which included a great deal of persecution and physical suffering.

There were several kinds of "crowns" in those days. Peter mentioned the athlete's crown, usually a garland of leaves or flowers that would quickly fade away. The faithful pastor's crown is a crown of glory, a perfect reward for an inheritance that will never fade away (1:4).

Today a Christian worker may labor for many different kinds of rewards. Some work hard to build personal empires; others strive for the applause of ren; still others seek promotion in their denomination. All of these things will fade one day. The only reward we ought to strive for is the "Well done!" of the Saviour and the unfading crown of glory that goes with it. What a joy it will be to place the crown at His feet (Rev. 4:10) and acknowledge that all we did was because of His grace and power (1 Cor. 15:10; 1 Peter 4:11). We will not desire personal glory when we see Jesus Christ face to face.

Everything in the local church rises or falls with leadership.

The leaders must be Christians, each with a vital personal relationship with Christ, a loving concern for their people, and a real desire to please Jesus Christ.

We lead by serving, and we serve by suffering.

This is the way Jesus did it and the only way that truly glorifies Him.